The weather is getting colder and we are starting to get snow! I love this time of year but for many it can signal the beginning of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I have several family members who deal with this disorder each year so I’m always on the lookout for research on nature and mental health.
Gregory Bratman, Paul Hamilton, Kevin Hahn, Gretchan Daily, and James Gross (2015) with Stanford did an interesting study discussing nature and mental illness. They found that by simply going on a 90 minute walk in a nature setting, it reduced negative rumination of self (repetitive thought patterns) and reduced neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex (area of the brain which has been linked to mental illness when overactive). So they basically researched and quantified what a lot of us already knew. Being in nature calms our thoughts and helps us feel happy with a sense of peace.
It is easy to get caught up in all the tasks we need to do inside our homes and offices. We may even start to think that if you take 90 minutes to just “go for a walk”, we are wasting time. This study has shown us that it is imperative to our mental well-being that we take some down time to be in a natural settings. Our work is much more enjoyable if we are not fighting anxiety or depression symptoms.
We did this over the last week and it went well (even with the snow). The major hang ups were: 1) I find that I feel like I’m wasting time if I’m just going for a walk with no purpose and 2) It was cold and bundling the kids seemed like a huge task. But after some internal debate and a little bit of whining- we got outside and it was lovely. It really did seem to help with the overall mood around the house and everyone slept better with the physical exercise. We plan on continuing this routine through the winter, which is usually the hardest time for us to get into nature (other than skiing, of course).
My Challenge to you: Go outside! Try to get into nature every single day this week and bonus points if it is for a full 90 minutes. Make it more fun and motivating by bringing family members, friends, or your pet (if its a cat on a leash or a ferret, please send a picture). Winter is one of the best times to get into nature, so go get all those hikes in before we get snowed in (and then need snow shoes).
Here is an article I wrote awhile back about reasons you should make your kids play. Here is the link: https://www.ksl.com/?sid=41508619&nid=1009&title=9-reasons-to-make-your-kids-go-play
Read the Bratman Study and other research studies on mental health and nature here:
June 29, 2015, doi:10.1073/pnas.1510459112 PNAS July 14, 2015 vol. 112 no. 288567-8572, http://www.pnas.org/content/112/28/8567.abstract
Happy outdoor adventuring friends!
-Jessie the Therapist
